Chapter Five
Jim knocked three times on the door. It was the signal he had arranged with Annie the previous night. To his surprise, before he could insert the key in the keyhole, Annie opened the door herself, from the inside. He stood there staring at her, in bewilderment. Then he got it. He too had learned a few tricks while he lived on the streets. But he had never wanted to make an art out of it. Annie apparently was pretty proud of her talents.
"Pretty cool, hum?" she said with a smile of mockery.
"Yeah, yeah... Well, we could have left you with a key, you know... Then you wouldn't have to bother picking the lock! You could have warned us there was no use in locking you in!" Jim said, as he dropped the parcels he had been carrying on the table.
"Where was the fun then? Besides didn't you sleep better thinking I was nice and safe here?" she asked folding her arms.
"How considerate of you!" despite his tone, Jim was smiling. He was starting to like the kid. "Here," he said, pointing at the bags he had carried. "These are for you. There are some clothes, soap, brushes, tooth paste... the works. And there's some food too. I bet you're sick of canned food."
"Well, it kinda grows on you." she answered pretending to be uninterested. But the glimmer in her eyes betrayed her.
Moments later, the two of them were at the table. Annie was literally wolfing down her food, which brought a smile to Jim's face, despite his concern for the girl. Now, dressed with a pair of Trixie's old blue jeans she had dug out from the attic and a t-shirt that was too big for her skinny figure, Annie look more frail than ever. Her hair was clean now and combed back in a ponytail. Her face looked so young, after washing all the dirt away, that Jim's heart ached thinking about all the other kids that were out on the streets, with no one to take care of them. He knew there was only so much he could do with his school, but nonetheless he was doing it!
"I was wondering..." Annie said, between two mouthfuls of chocolate cake, "You live in that mansion up on the hill, right?"
"Yeah... So?" he asked, leaning his face on his hand.
"Last night you said you were like me... You know, an orphan." he couldn't help noticing how she had pronounced the word as if it was swearing.
He took in a deep breath.
"I was, once... But Trixie... That's the girl that was with us last night, Bobby's sister... Trixie helped me out and the Wheelers adopted me."
"You like her, don't you?" Annie said, with a mocking smile.
Jim couldn't help to blush under the scrutinizing eye of the girl. "What's it to you anyway?" he said, smiling. "C'me on, eat up. Trixie is going to be here any minute and we have to decide what to do with you."
Annie got up, nearly knocking the chair over. The previous night's frightened look appeared again in her eyes. "You won't turn me in, will you?" she whispered.
Jim walked over to her and surrounded her trembling shoulders with his arm. "No. A promise is a promise. But we have to do something. You can't be here forever..."
Annie let her head fall and her eyes stare at the floor. After a few moments, she spoke with a voice Jim found hard to believe it could belong to such a young girl. "I know that..." after a few moments of silence, during which she seemed to gather her courage again, she walked away from Jim's protective arm and glanced around as if seeing the club house for the very first time.
"You guys got a club, right?" she inquired. "Like in those kids' books, right?"
He grinned at the comparison. "Something like that..."
"You were pretty lucky, you know? Most kids that form clubs usually end up in jail or worse..."
"Ours wasn't that kind of a club," Jim said, frowning.
"The principle is the same, really," she said and Jim couldn't help trembling at her knowledgeable tone. "Kids who can't take care of themselves alone gather up with the kids in their neighborhood... and that's that! Next thing they're terrorizing everyone."
"That's a gang, not a club!"
She shrugged. "I don't see much difference. My guess is that a club is what lucky kids that have money and a family call a gang. Or the other way around... The thing is those kids don't have to defend themselves so they won't get into trouble. But I guess you understand." her eyes suddenly locked with his. "Have you ever wondered what would have happened if you hadn't been adopted by... what's their name? The Wheeler's, right? Have you?"
Every single minute of these last nine years, he thought.
"I thought as much." Annie said, as if she had read his thoughts. "I'm not holding this against you, no way. I'm pretty grateful for what you are doing. I just wanted to make sure you understood."
"Annie, I do understand. Even if I didn't thank the Lord for this chance He decided to give me, there's someone in our club that came from New York and who was in trouble with the cops because he was in a gang. And we heard those same words from him, once. You don't have to be defensive with us. We want to help you." Jim said, gently. He had suddenly realized how scared Annie was.
Precisely at that moment, Trixie arrived. It didn't take her long to understand that she had interrupted a particularly difficult moment. Somehow it made her feel awkward.
"Hi, Trix." Jim greeted. "Is there something wrong? You look strange."
Trixie nodded and tried to dismiss the feeling of being the fifth wheel on the wagon. "Well, Bobby was by the tree house this morning..." she started.
"Did he find my medallion?" Annie interrupted, as she came out of the corner where she had been standing as if in hiding.
Thinking that Annie reminded her a little of herself years back, Trixie smiled. But she quickly returned to a more serious look when she remembered the true reason for being there. "No, he didn't... What he found was that the place was searched."
Jim walked across the room to where Trixie was standing and looked her deep in the eyes. Trixie felt shivers down her back, as if she hadn't seen those green eyes before. Suddenly she felt 14 again. "You mean someone has been there?" he whispered, despite the fact Annie could hear him perfectly well.
Trixie could only nod. Lord, last night's getting to me! she thought.
"You think they were looking for...?" Jim didn't have time to end his sentence because Annie did it for him. "For me. They were looking for me." she said, white as paper. "I should have known they would be able to find me..."
Shacking off the strange feeling that had possessed her, Trixie walked over to Annie and tried to remember whatever she had learned in college. I did study Psychology, my God! A lot of good it's doing me!, she mentally scolded herself. "Annie, do they... whoever they are... know you were there?", she asked, trying to be as gentle as possible.
"No... I'm sure they didn't! If they had I wouldn't be here now..." Annie answered, trying to dominate the trembling in her voice.
"Then why are you so sure you were followed here?"
Annie closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. "I guess they just put two and two together when they noticed I was missing..."
Trixie looked into her eyes, feeling the same exhilaration she always felt whenever one of her hunches proved right. "There is something you haven't told us, isn't there?" she asked, unable to hide the triumph in her tone.
"Well, I guess..."
The library wasn't exactly Bobby's favorite place in Sleepyside. Despite that, he was the first person to enter the place, which earned him a very favorable compliment from Miss Hanson, the librarian. Being one of Sleepyside's most characteristic spinsters, Miss Hanson wasn't exactly the kind of woman a boy of 15 likes to be complimented by. Especially when a group of his friends is just passing by.
"My, my, if it isn't young Robert Belden!" she exclaimed out loud, as she saw him sitting on the front steps.
"Good morning, Miss Hanson!" he said, blushing.
"Well, it's wonderful to see you take after your older brother. Studying even in the Summer... I'm impressed! I always thought you were more like your sister Beatrix. Why, I could count the times she's been here with the fingers of one hand!" standing by the entrance, Miss Hanson didn't seem to want to go in. And then she performed what was for Bobby the absolute humiliation: she pinched his cheek! "It's wonderful to see you here indeed!" she concluded.
But the damage was done. The picture of two of his friends from school laughing at the sight on the sidewalk wasn't likely to fade away easily. However, later that morning, Bobby concluded that maybe Miss Hanson's good image of him was worth the humiliation. Since he wasn't familiar with the place it took him quite a while to figure out where to find what he was looking for. Lucky for him, Miss Hanson decided to be helpful. But of course she wanted to know why on earth he was interested in murders stories published in New York's newspapers.
"Don't tell me you are trying to become a detective, like that crazy sister of yours, are you?" Miss Hanson asked, in what Bobby interpreted as a menacing tone.
"No!" he answered, with the most angelic expression he could find within him. "It's a project I'm setting up for next year... I want to get an early start, you see!"
Apparently she was convinced and led him to the new computer system the library had installed, which allowed him to perform an online search. Bobby was shocked to see how many murders there were in New York every day. He knew Sleepyside was a pretty quiet place, but he had never realized how quiet. And the saddest thing was most of those murders were left unsolved: the victims were usually prostitutes, gang members or homeless people. And since Jason, Annie's friend, probably fitted into one of the last two categories, the search proved long.
He was about to give it up when he thought of something else. Knowing it was a long shot, nonetheless he decided to search the obituaries. He didn't even know Jason's last name but he would try it anyway. After a few moments, he found himself staring at the monitor. The column in front of him read: "Jason, beloved son of Mary-Ann and Lewis Parker. Dead at 19. The family thanks all the friends that accompanied him to his resting place. We will avenge you, Jason."
Above the words, there was a picture of a good-looking boy, with a beautiful smile. Somehow, Bobby was certain that it was him. And he got even more certain when he saw the link beneath the column. It took him to a news story he had overlooked before. MISSING HEIR FOUND DEAD, the title read. As he read through the story, Bobby felt his heart throbbing and the hair on the back of his neck stand. Apparently, Jason had been missing for over four years. No ransom had ever been demanded, so the Police had considered him as a runaway. About a month ago, the family had been contacted by a man who claimed to have kidnapped Jason and demanded a 2 million dollars ransom. Lewis Parker hadn't contacted the Police and had taken the money to the pre-arranged location. When the Police got there, after being called by Mary-Ann, Lewis Parker was unconscious at the site, the money was gone and Jason was found dead near by.
Without even seeing his own reflection, Bobby knew for a fact that he must be white as paper. Had Annie lied to him or was she simply not telling the whole truth? Or could it be that she wasn't aware of what had really happened? He felt dizzy as every possibility came to his mind. But, despite the fear of being involved in something dangerous, Bobby understood, for the first in his life, what Trixie felt every time she working on a case. He felt the blood rushing through his veins, filling him with an unknown energy and an indescribable exhilaration. To sum it up, he felt alive.
By the time Bobby got to the club house he was certain Annie had omitted the true facts on purpose. And he was mad. After all, he had shown her she could trust him. But apparently she didn't. He stormed into the club house only to freeze in his steps, as he found himself staring at Trixie, Jim and Annie sitting around the table. "Oh, it's great that we're all here!" Bobby said, ironically, "We do have something important to discuss. You know, Annie" he said as he approached her "I've been to the library."
"How great for you!" she mumbled, frowning.
"And I've seen Jason's obituary... As well as the news story about his death." Bobby sat down right in front of the girl and stared at her, attentively.
Annie nodded and smiled, understanding what he was getting at. "Oh..." she said.
Trixie and Jim exchanged glances and then Trixie said: "Bobby, I believe your trip to the library was useless... Annie has already told us what really happened. We know why Jason died..."
The 15 year old boy wanted to find a hole he could dive into. Blushed to the root of his sand colored hair, he whispered: "Do you mind telling me then?"
Annie took a deep breath. She was getting used to repeating her story over and over again. "Jason was a rich kid... His father was powerful businessman. And he was also hard on Jason... Jason wanted to be a musician but Mr. Parker... that's his father... had other plans. He was planning to send him to a business school. They had big fights over it, despite the fact that Jason was only 15 at the time. Once apparently Mr. Parker pushed him one too many times and Jason ran off. He managed to survive and about two years ago we met.", Annie stopped and looked at Bobby, that still had an angry look in his eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you this sooner, but Jason took a long time to tell me himself. It was hard for him to talk about it... It was like revealing his secret, you see?"
"Just go on," Bobby said.
"Well, anyway... Some months ago, Jason and I met these guys... When you live out on the streets, you're bound to meet all kinds of people... Specially those you really want to stay away from... But somehow Jason was desperate enough to overlook certain things. Those guys messed with heavy business, if you know what I mean... Jason grew stranger and stranger and he seemed to drift away from me. We had great fights and once he told me he had ran off because people kept telling him what to do and that he didn't want to start all over again. But I was worried... I started following him. I didn't know what was going on until... Until that night. I heard them fighting, Jason and Dave... That was the name of the other guy... It seems Jason had told them their life story and those guys decided to take advantage of it. Jason found out and... Well, I suppose you already know the rest."
Bobby nodded. By now his anger had faded away. Like all the Beldens his heart was on the right place. Gently, he reached out and squeezed Annie's hand. Surprised, Annie smiled.
Jim then cleared his throat, breaking the uncomfortable atmosphere. "Well, guys, we need a plan. We want to protect you, Annie, but you are witness to a murder. You're the only one who can identify Jason's murderer. He belongs in jail."
Trixie interrupted him, by laying her hand on his arm. Her touch was like fire on his skin and he lost all track of his thoughts. "You're right, Jim. But Annie is in danger. If she goes to the Police... Well, maybe it would be easier for this Dave guy... If he's the one chasing her... to find her. First, we have to find out why he's after her."
By then, Bobby's brain was steaming. The pieces were starting to fit together and he was getting dizzy... Without knowing he was speaking out loud, he said: "But we do know!"
Annie pulled her hand away from his grip, looking scared. As he stared into her eyes, he knew he was right. "The ransom money, isn't it? The two million dollars, you took them, didn't you?" Bobby stated, knowing for sure.
Jim gulped and stared at Trixie. She was sitting by his side, quiet, in awe, gazing at her little brother. He knew what she was thinking: when had she lost control of the situation?
Annie was pale. Bobby felt sorry for her, but he couldn't back away now. If she wanted their help, she'd have to trust them... no matter what! "C'me on, Annie. We need to know everything, if we are to help you!" he said, looking straight into her eyes.
Trixie looked at Bobby as if she was seeing him for the first time. It was like those last nine years had gone by without her noticing... It seemed to her that only yesterday Bobby was that little six-year-old kid that loved secrets and sploring. And now she was suddenly aware that he was exactly the same age she had been when it all started. Mesmerized at the turn of events she sat back and watched.
Annie's eyes were the first to give in. The pressure of those three people staring at her and of knowing she couldn't escape were to hard for her to handle and the tears streamed down her face. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you... It's just that it all happened so fast... I really didn't know if I could trust you. But now, I guess I don't have a choice." Taking a deep breath, she started: "That night, Jason found out what Dave was planning to do. He went to stop him and I followed him. Jason had been acting strange and decided it was best if I... Well, I don't know what I was expecting to do, but I went anyway."
"Then what?" Bobby asked, impatiently.
"Easy, Bobby, let her finish." Jim said, gently. But he couldn't help smiling. Bobby reminded him so much of Trixie, when she was his age!
The girl lowered her eyes and they could hear the tears in her voice. "Jason and Dave fought. Dave said he was a fool, for not wanting to take his part in it! That he could be rich! Jason answered by saying he had ran away from being rich and that he wouldn't let him torture his family any further. Next thing I knew Dave had a gun in his hand... He shot Jason... Then someone yelled and Dave ran towards the road. I guess it was Jason's dad. From then on... It's all a blur. I know I heard the police sirens and saw Dave running away. He had a bag with him... A big bag, which was slowing him down. He hid it in some bushes, probably planning to come back and get it when things were quieter... I took it and ran off!"
"Where is it now?" Trixie asked.
"At the train station, here in Sleepyside." Annie took a deep breath, to try to control the trembling in her voice. "When I got here I noticed a lot of cops around and decided it was best if they didn't see me carrying that bag... So I put it in a locker."
"Captain Molinson was always a sucker for security." Trixie said, with a smile.
"So I guess we should be getting that bag as soon as possible." Jim stated.
The young girl bit her lip and her brown eyes went back to staring at the ground. "Well, that's the problem you see... I hid the key to the locker in my medallion."
"Oh Lord! And the medallion is missing!" Trixie moaned, hiding her face in her hands.
"Are you sure you had the medallion with you when Bobby found you?" Jim asked, his brow frowning with concern. "It was a long trip... You could have lost it somewhere else."
Annie shook her head, decisively.
"No, I'm sure I had it. The medallion was my mother's. It's the only thing I have left. At night when I say my prayers I hold it in my hand... If I had lost it, I would have known."
Trixie gulped, in silence, feeling touched by the girl's words. Annie, the homeless child, who sometimes had to steal for a living, still said her prayers before bed. As if letting go of that apparently misplaced habit would mean cutting the final ties to her previous life. As if it would be the same as admitting misery was the only thing life had in store for her. And suddenly she understood why Jim was so attached to his own principles, which had been the core of their arguments. Letting go of them, or even compromising on a few would mean letting go of what he had left of his origins. James Winthrop Frayne II was much more than Matthew Wheeler's adopted son. Though Trixie couldn't remember what her life had been like without him around, she finally realized he could never forget his past. And that was the real reason he cherished everything and every moment of his life in Sleepyside. Without really knowing why she whispered the verse of a song she'd heard: "When the Gods send you a blessing, you don't ask why it was sent."
"What?" Jim asked.
"Oh nothing. I was just thinking out loud." Trixie said, smiling at him.
"I guess that if it was Dave on the tree house and he found the medallion, he'll be certain I'm around! He was always teasing me about it..." Annie went on. "I was such a fool! But I was too scared... too confused to cover my tracks properly! It was easy for him to follow me."
"I'm afraid to say I agree with you, Annie." Trixie folded her arms over her chest and sighed. "And with this money business it's best if we don't even dream of telling this story to the Police."
To her surprise, Jim nodded.
"I agree. If we tell the Police, Annie might be charged with theft, obstruction of Justice and God knows what else."
"That's right." Gazing at him, her blue eyes filled with wonder, Trixie could help but smile at him.
"So, what do we do?" Bobby inquired, hating the feeling of being unable to do anything.
Three pairs of eyes suddenly turned to Trixie. But it was an old and familiar feeling. "We wait. And do some research."
A/N: To my readers, I just want to explain that writing these stories(I have a few other accompyning stories) is my way of putting closure to the whole series, and in the universe where they lived, this is what I imagined happened. Thanks for all thses lovely reviews. Fidelis Et Espoire A Noel, Mylee, and JJsGirl2 It makes me happy that you guys enjoy my stories as I did and still do.
So if you need something that lets you have closure in the Trixie Belden series, find a story(I've seen a few in this archive, I've only just discovered this so I haven't read any yet), believe in it(because we all need something that lets us come full circle, that was my aim of my writing), or take time to write to write your own(this is what I did).
Best wishes, Claudia